Riku June Kuchiki
Riku Kuchiki (朽木 リク, Kuchiki Riku) is the second wife of Byakuya Kuchiki (朽木 白哉, Kuchiki Byakuya) and currently serves as the Sixth Division's Lieutenant. Riku was the product of a sordid love affair between her biological father, Sōsuke Aizen, and her mother, Nami Shiba. The sheer level and quick progression of her powers stem from Aizen's experimenting on Nami when she was pregnant with her. She is closely related to Kūkaku and Ganjū Shiba as well as being a cousin of Ichigo Kurosaki, her familial rival. She is the noblewoman of both the Kuchiki Clan and the Shiba Clan; the former clan being one of the five great noble clans in the Soul Society and the latter clan slowly regaining its status due to the merits of Riku and Ichigo. Appearance Riku Kuchiki is petite for her young appearance. She has deep sapphire eyes that Kūkaku comments is a rare Shiba Clan trait and is only reserved for the true head of the entire clan itself. She has mid-back length alabaster hair like her mother, which she kept up in curls with a string of distinct peach blossom hair clips. Once she crosses over to the Soul Society, she is seen wearing a reverse shihakushō (all white with a black undergarment) tied with a green sash under a dark green haori which features a high collar with silver edges. The Shiba Clan insignia hangs on a silver chain from her sash completing her outfit. She also wears bandages around her hands and wrists to aid in her training under Head Captain Yamamoto. Seventeen months after Aizen’s defeat and after her marriage to Byakuya, Riku looks noticeably different as she is now a full-time shinigami. She looks older than her twenty odd years of age and has several strands of hair that frame her face. Her hair is also notably longer and now hangs freely down her back. The peach blossom hairclips are gone only to be replaced with two small blue tessen shaped hairclips to hold the rest of her hair back from her face. She has shed the deep green haori and now wears a blue version of the same haori with Byakuya's scarf around her waist like an obi and the Kuchiki Clan symbol emblazoned on the back. The Shiba Clan insignia now hangs from the hilt of her all white zanpakutō, which is tucked in the sash on her right hip since she’s left-handed. Personality As the Lady of the Kuchiki Clan, Riku acts in a friendly yet aristocratic manner. She always seems serene and apathetic towards other people and is always seen with a smile on her face when engaging those she knows. She is notably calm but has a tendency to be easily annoyed when someone disturbs Byakuya or bothers Rukia, which she views the latter as a younger sister. As such, she views Ichigo Kurosaki with disdain for always referring to Byakuya improperly and tends to scold Ichigo when she teases Rukia. Riku also has a genius-level intellect as she is able to recite verbatim the Soul Society’s laws on a whim and has demonstrated a deep understanding of them to Captain Commander Yamamoto's content. Because of her intellect she was asked by a reinstated Kisuke Urahara to join the Twelfth Division, but turned it down to allow Kirei Kaizoku to rise to the rank of Lieutenant. Riku is very perceptive and chooses her battles wisely, and she is fully aware of her limitations. She only takes on an opponent when she is called to either help the Soul Society or protect a loved one, like with Rukia, whom Riku swore to do the moment she met her. Although she mostly spends her time as the official Shinigami Ambassador to the Quincy (with Yuki Takahashi being the Quincy equivalent), she never truly engages in actual battle. Because of this, not very many people know the level of her true power. Only a handful of people have even seen her actual Bankai; including Rukia Kuchiki and Kisuke Urahara – as he helped her uncover and control it. Riku strongly believes in law and order as do most Kuchiki nobles. This is shown when she allowed herself to willingly be imprisoned for the death of Captain Aizen even though she knew had nothing to do with it and that something else was brewing. She believes that all law breakers must be punished but different to her husband Byakuya, she believes punishment should be to the degree of their crime. With this, she also believes that in some cases time served can be a punishment all on its own as with the result of Renji and Ichigo's battles with Byakuya. Riku is the Co-Madame President of the Shinigami Women's Association as Yachiru decided to share the duty with her, and passionately defends their right to meet in the Kuchiki Manor to a discontented Byakuya upon discovery. He reluctantly agrees after she pleads their case, to which Byakuya notes that he realizes he’d do anything to keep his wife content, even if it meant hosting the meetings at his house. She adores peach blossoms, loves to cook, and makes her own tea from her mother’s blend and serves it to only those she cares for. History Incomplete Plot Shiroinazuma: Awakening Arc Incomplete Agent of the Shinigami Arc Riku first appeared to Ichigo and friends alongside Captain Byakuya Kuchiki and his Lieutenant, Renji Abarai, on their mission to capture and return Rukia Kuchiki to Soul Society and kill Ichigo Kurosaki. Riku watches with a saddened expression as Renji attacks Rukia, and seemingly stands idle as Uryū Ishida enters into the conflict between the two. When Renji is about to deliver the killing blow to Ishida, it’s then that Riku steps in and stops Renji with her hand on the hilt of his blade, cautioning him that killing Ishida would upset the balance and break the first law of the Soul Society. Renji accuses Riku of going soft on those she loves, to which she coldly replies that it’s their duty as a Shinigami to keep the balance and that Ishida is of no consequence to them. This visibly hurts Ishida, but he stays fairly quiet on the matter, thankful Riku was there to spare his life. Riku’s face then softens as she cautions Ishida to go home and never speak of this to anyone, to which he hesitantly agrees. Shortly after Renji defeats Ishida, Riku bears witness to the arrival of Ichigo, and stands back alongside Byakuya as Renji engages her. Byakuya orders Riku to stay out of it as she is only there as an observer, to which she nods obediently and slides her petite hands in the sleeves of her kimono. Throughout the rest of the battle, Riku stays idle but harbors a saddened expression on her face since in truth, Ichigo is still her family and she remembered her as a baby. When the Senkaimon is opened to the Soul Society after Byakuya delivers an almost fatal blow to Ichigo, Riku wraps her arm around Rukia’s shoulders and holds her close as they walk through together. Later, in the Soul Society, Riku is seen to be having tea alone in the gardens of the Kuchiki Manor until she is joined by Byakuya. Riku calmly asks Byakuya if “upholding the law is worth losing another Kuchiki,” to which he coldly reminds her that it is part of the Kuchiki Clan to uphold the laws, and that if they didn’t, then no one else would. This seems to dishearten Riku, but she nods in agreement with Byakuya. Riku stays quiet but takes note of Byakuya’s deep conflict about his sister’s fate. Soul Society Arc The Bount arc Movie: Memories of Nobody Arrancar: The Arrival Arc Movie: Diamond Dust Rebellion Movie: Fade to Black Arrancar: The Hueco Mundo Sneak Entry Arc Arrancar: The Fierce Fight Arc The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai Arc Arrancar vs. Shinigami Arc Arrancar: Decisive Battle of Karakura Arc Zanpakutō Unknown Tales Arc Arrancar: Downfall Arc Movie: HellVerse Gotei 13 Invading Army Arc The Lost Substitute Shinigami Arc Equipment Incomplete Powers & Abilities Natural Abilities Enhanced Speed & Reflexes: Even before learning Shunpo, Riku was a very fast and agile woman. Riku possesses quick reflexes as she’d been outrunning Hollows during her time in the world of the living. She can dodge almost any long range attack, and retaliate with a strike with no wasted effort on her part. Her speed allows her to track normally quick opponents and counter their attack with one of her own. Advanced Growth Rate: According to both Byakuya and Yamamoto, Riku’s most surprising ability, like her cousin Ichigo Kurosaki, is her rapid spiritual growth rate. She seems to grasp the basic control of advanced techniques in mere days, and has been classified as one of the most gifted Shinigami that the Soul Society has seen since her father, Raiden Shiba. Keen Intellect: Riku is very analytical, perceptive, and deductive. She was one of the best nurses at Karakura hospital, and even though she was a nurse, still performed light doctorial duties in emergency situations. Aside from that, Riku can easily determine the pattern of her opponent and use this against them. Great Spiritual Power: After her training with Yamamoto and various members of the 11th Division (primarily Kirei Kaizoku), Riku boasts a great spiritual power, and can exert large amounts of reiatsu when needed. Her reiatsu is white in her shikai form, and white with a black outline in her bankai form. Spiritual Awareness: Ever since she can remember, Riku had the innate ability to clearly see spiritual beings and sense their presence. This was evident when she first met Byakuya by Karakura River and noticed the Garganta that had opened up above her head. After Byakuya took her to the Soul Society and Yamamoto chose to take her under his wing, her senses have vastly improved, and even from a considerable distance, she can detect the location and condition of a being with spiritual power. Shinigami Powers & Abilities Kidō Master: Riku has considerable knowledge of higher level Kidō spells due to her natural understanding of them, and she can cast several in quick succession with special incantations taught to her by Isshin, although it drains her considerably. She has been seen to use spells up to level 81, and possesses advanced knowledge of Kidō application in battle. She can use Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō (六杖光牢, Six-Rod Light Restraint) easily, and bound Captain Gin Ichimaru even when she was weak from being in the Repentance Cell with Rukia. Shunpo Master: Riku is hands down, a great master of Shunpo having been taught by a combination of Byakuya Kuchiki and the Goddess of Flash herself, Yoruichi Shihōin. Because she is so agile in her fighting style, performing any Shunpo technique is quite easy for her. *'Senka' (閃花, Flash Blossom): A Shunpo technique where one, moving to their opponent's back, directly attacks and seals one's "Saketsu" and "Hakusui" in two rapid strikes, effectively cutting them off from their spiritual energy flow. The technique is so fast, an opponent may not be able to tell whether they were attacked from the front or the back, and even an outside observer may find it impossible see the movements. To impress Byakuya, she learned this technique from him and has become proficient at it, but rarely uses it. Expert Hakuda Combatant: Although rarely used when she battles but more in when she trains with members from the 11th Division, Riku is a very capable hand-to-hand fighter, who commonly uses Hakuda along with close quarter Kidō as her main way to take out her opponents. Expert Swordsman: Riku knows the basic levels of Zanjutsu, of which she seemed to have only mastered the rudimentary skills. She's admitted on occasion that she'd rather use her Kidō and Hakuda in battle than her Zanpakutō, as she is afraid of it true power. However, with the help of Yamamoto, she's become a formidable fighter, being able to hold her own. Zanpakutō Shiroinazuma (白雷の連勝, Streak of White Lightning): In its sealed form, Shiroinazuma looks like a normal pale blue tantō (短刀, Short Sword), except the u-shaped guard is covered in white rhinestones that flicker when she uses it. When all of the rhinestones have stopped glowing, it turns into its shikai state. *Its Shikai command is Protect (保護, Hogo). When the glow of the rhinestones fades, she brushes her fingers over the rhinestones and sticks her finger though the guard, twirling it three times in a clockwise fashion as the blade extends to the size of a standard katana with a circular silver hilt in the shape of the Shiba Clan. Shiroinazuma is regarded as one of the most dangerous Zanpakutō in the Soul Society because of its sheer power. The transformation is accompanied by static electricity in the air. Shikai Special Ability: Shiroinazuma is a rare Zanpakutō as it not only changes in size, but it affects Riku’s appearance as the Zanpakutō’s spirit starts to possess her. Her hair grows longer as her eyes turn lighter in blue than they already are. It’s also a lightning-type Zanpakutō, and possesses immense power. Besides protection based techniques, Shiroinazuma’s general abilities are electric. Shiroinazuma can harness the power of the lightning in the clouds above her, and shoot sparks from a large distance. As a result, anyone within a close range of her can feel the static in the air, no matter is Shiroinazuma is discharging an attack or not. *'Bankai': Shiroinazuma Notenshi (白雷の天使, Angel of White Lightning): To activate this, she holds her sword skywards and as the clouds darken overhead, it's struck by a bolt of lightning, making the blade double in size. Her appearance changes as well. Her hair grows longer and her outfit changes drastically. Instead of the standard shihakushō, she is seen in a black turtleneck sleeves outfit, white pats on her shoulders, gloves, and black hakama. Also across her chest is an x pattern similar to suspenders. The white color symbolize her own want to protect herself and those she's vowed to protect, and the black symbolizes her Zanpakutō spirit's dark desires to brutally slaughter those that harm her loved ones. Incomplete Trivia *Riku Kuchiki is the author of the article A Kind Word, and it’s hugely popular amongst the female Shinigami for its inspirational material. *Riku appears to be one of only three characters who are left-handed, the other two being her adopted brother Uryū Ishida, and Ikkaku Madarame. __NOEDITSECTION__ Category:Bleach/Characters